ALTAFF and ALA Washington Office to lead Virtual Library Advocacy Day

Contact:

Jillian Kalonick

PHILADELPHIA – The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) and the American Library Association (ALA) Washington Office will lead Virtual Library Advocacy Day, an opportunity for all library advocates to make their voices heard on a national level, on June 29, 2010.

Virtual Library Advocacy Day is part of the ALA’s National Library Advocacy Day on June 29, during which thousands of library advocates will descend on Capitol Hill for a rally followed by meetings with members of Congress and their staffs. Library advocates who cannot make it to Capitol Hill for the event can still be a part of the effort by calling and/or e-mailing their elected officials on June 29 – or the week of June 28-July 2.

ALTAFF Executive Director Sally Gardner Reed encourages all advocates to take part in this united effort to ensure America’s libraries can continue to serve the public.

“If citizens who care for libraries remain silent, it’s the same as saying they are okay with low budgets and closed libraries,” Reed said. “The only way for us to make a difference is to make our voices heard.”

Talking points and links to contact information for members of Congress are available on the ALTAFF website (www.ala.org/altaff). ALTAFF’s website also provides a flyer and bookmarks for library advocates to print, e-mail, or post on their websites to help spread the word in their communities.

In addition, the ALA Washington Office will present a webinar for those participating in Virtual Library Advocacy Day from 4 to 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 21. This webinar will highlight actions advocates can take to support the library community in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ala.org/altaff.

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ALTAFF is a division of ALA with approximately 5,000 Friends of the Library, Trustee, Foundation and individual members and affiliates representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. Begun in early 2009, the new division brings together Trustees, Friends and Foundation members into a partnership that unites the voices of citizens for libraries to create a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information about ALTAFF, please contact Jillian Kalonick at (312) 280-2161 or jkalonick@ala.org.